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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
Fragility Assessment of Bovine Cortical Bone Using Scratch Tests
Published on: November 30, 2017
A novel scratching approach for measuring age-related changes in the in situ toughness of bone
1Department of Mechanical Engineering and Biomechanics, The University of Texas at San Antonio, 6900 North Loop 1604 West, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA. xwang@utsa.edu
Abstract:
A scratch test using a nanoindentation system was proposed in this study to assess the age-related changes in the in situ toughness of bone matrix at ultrastructural levels. A tissue removal energy density (u(r)) was defined and estimated as the work done by the scratch (U(T)) divided by the total volume of the scratch groove (u(s)). The value of u(s) was used as a relative measure of the in situ toughness of the tissue. Human cortical bone specimens obtained from middle-aged (between 49 and 59 years old) and elderly groups (over 69 years old) were tested using this technique. A significant difference in the estimated removal energy density (u(s)) in the secondary osteons was found between the middle-aged and elderly groups (5.49+/-0.696 vs. 4.09+/-1.30 N/mm(2), respectively).
